Finland: Subcontracted Ukrainian workers allegedly subjected to wage theft & long hours at Rauma and Turku shipyards, incl. cos. responses & non-responses
An investigation by the Finnish news agency STT has uncovered alleged labour abuses involving Ukrainian migrant workers at several construction sites in Finland.
Reports indicate that Ukrainian workers hired by the subcontractors Bongo Marine and Hodes were allegedly subjected to wage theft and excessively long working hours, sometimes up to 14 hours a day and during night shifts, without proper overtime pay. Workers also reported being transferred between different subcontractors without prior notice or consent.
Both companies operate at the Rauma and Meyer Turku shipyards, owned by Rauma Marine Constructions and Meyer Turku, respectively.
These allegations follow earlier reports from 2023, when Hodes was accused of subjecting Ukrainian migrant workers to wage theft at multiple construction sites. It was also reported that the former owner of Hodes now owns HSSM, which has also been linked to violations of Ukrainian workers’ rights at shipyards, according to STT.
Following reports of these allegations, Meyer Turku told the news agency Yle STT that it was aware of the matter but did not wish to comment on whether the Ukrainian workers had been underpaid for work carried out at the facility.
Commenting on the allegations related to Meyer Turku, the Industrial Union stated that the company is responsible for labour abuses occurring within its subcontracting chain.
The responsibility lies with Meyer Turku, which can no longer turn a blind eye. The company has avoided the problems for too long, even though issues in the subcontracting chains have been reported time and again. This must now stop.Industrial Union vice-chair, Turja Lehtonen
In October, the company reported that it had decided to end its contracts with the two subcontractors, Bongo Marine and Hodes, and had revoked their access to the shipyard.
Yle STT was unable to reach a spokesperson for either subcontractor for comment on the allegations.
In November 2025, the Resource Centre contacted Rauma Marine Constructions and Hodes to request their responses to the allegations, but neither company responded. HSSM was also contacted regarding the reported labour rights violations at shipyards but did not respond.
At the end of November, it was reported by Yle that one of the subcontractors, Hodes, was continuing to advertise shipbuilding jobs in Finland.